Portugal faces high meteorological risk as depression Charles passes and a rare, destructive sting jet could trigger wind gusts above 160 km/h around Greater Lisbon.
Portugal is on alert as the depressions Bruna and Charles pass over the country. For this Wednesday, there is also the possibility of a phenomenon called sting jet, a rare meteorological eventthat can generate gusts with greater destructive force, as happened with Kristin at the beginning of the year, which devastated several regions of the Leiria district.
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The Greater Lisbon area deserves particular attention because of the possibility that this phenomenon may occur, especially between midday and late afternoon on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, during a preventive Civil Protection press conference, IPMA acknowledged the possibility that a sting jet could form. "There are some indications that it may occur, but it is very difficult to predict. That is what happened in storm Kristin and it is on the table," said Jorge Ponte from IPMA.
According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), a sting jet is an air current that rapidly descends inside an extratropical depression and can hit the surface with great intensity. This phenomenon, which occurs in a relatively small and localised area, can produce very strong wind gusts, potentially exceeding 160 kilometres per hour, and cause significant damage.
Climate change specialist Duarte Costa, who has used social media to explain the phenomenon and warn of the associated risks, describes it as "an extremely violent jet of wind that descends from the mid-levels of a storm down to the surface, suddenly and in a very localised way as a result of strong intensification when it passes through a jet stream".
Simulations from the European ECMWF model show a hook-shaped pattern, "a dangerous similarity to the sting jet phenomenon", says Duarte Costa.
The big difference compared with Kristin is that this time the storm will be most intense during daylight hours, that is when there are more people on the streets and on the roads, which worsens the situation.
Duarte Costa warns that if the phenomenon coincides with rush hour, the period when travel is busiest, the risks could be heightened.
Preventive measures under way
The Portuguese government has declared an alert for this Wednesday across the entire mainland territory, in view of the approach of the depression Charles.
The Minister for Internal Administration, Luís Neves, announced the closure of all schools (public and private) and non-essential public services, the banning of movement in parks, forests and gardens, and urged the population to stay at home, warning that there may be "very tough moments of need for rescue", with particular concern about urban flooding, falling trees and disruption to power supply.
IPMA has placed eight districts under a red warning, Beja, Évora, Faro, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Santarém and Setúbal, until 21:00 on Wednesday.
All tunnels and car parks in the city of Lisbon, as well as some bridges, have been closed since midnight. Speed on the Vasco da Gama and 25 de Abril bridges, which link the two banks of the River Tagus, has been limited to 60 km/h, and motorbike traffic is being discouraged.
The Lisbon Metro and Fertagus expect to maintain their public transport services. However, Carris bus operations may be subject to changes throughout the day, depending on the severity of the bad weather and safety conditions.
Meanwhile, Rede Expressos has suspended services between 10:00 and midnight on Wednesday.
